


Run and Hide

by MissMangled



Category: Alien: Isolation (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I'm Sorry, Male-Female Friendship, People Will Die, Robot/Human Relationships, but not really, reader is female, there will be a few graphic deaths, will mostly follow the plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:04:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5419817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMangled/pseuds/MissMangled
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The station is dead. You will be too, no doubt. There's no way off. And the dangers just keep coming; closing in; suffocating. Survival is key.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Sevastopol

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one. Not sure when two will be out, but soon hopefully.  
> I hope you like it~ :)

There wasn't supposed to be any other ships coming to Sevastopol. Ever, at all. That's why it was such a surprise when the Anesidora docked, unscheduled and unanticipated. The captain had rushed his wife on board; apparently, she was sick, and the station was the closest place that they could come to. She'd been kept in cryosleep on the way here, so the problem wouldn't worsen during the travel.

She looked pretty awful as it was. You only caught a glimpse of her after she'd passed through quarantine, as she was rushed through by Lingard and Morley, to the emergency room. Her skin was pale and covered in sticky sweat, and really, she just looked so sick. You hoped the doctors could help her. She looked like she needed it.

None of you had any idea of what she was carrying when she was let on board.

None of you realised you'd go on to regret it in the future.

But for now, she was just a poor sick woman who needed all the help she could get.

Unfortunately, Doctor Lingard was the one who got the lovely job of examining her. You didn't really get to stick around long enough to see what was wrong; you were sent off with your team mate and very best friend Ricardo to the SysTech spire, to patrol and make sure none of the equipment had been stolen.

The walk was filled with light conversation and constant laughter, though you had to work to keep quiet: you had to remain professional while on the job. It would be pretty bad if Waits, or god forbid Ransome, found out. You'd get into a lot of trouble. But they wouldn't find out, since you knew for a fact they were both 'helping' see to this poor woman. Well, Waits was, but you'd heard from Lingard that the executive had bought his way in at the door, as if it were some kind of show. You'd seen him arrive as you were leaving.

A buzz in your radio had your attention, and you activated it as you walked.  
“[Surname], are you and Ricardo in SysTech,?” Waits' voice came through, filled with static and annoyance.

You put pressure on the button, quelling your laughter and taking a deep breath, “We are. You need something?”

It was quiet on the other end for a moment, before the Marshal confirmed it.

“We've had a bit of a... situation. Get over here now.”

Then there was nothing. With a shrug, you and Ricardo turned and headed back the way you'd just came. Only silence surrounded you now; the laughter had died, and you were a bit thankful. You'd began to feel a little bit wheezy, your chest constricting tightly. At least now you had the chance to breathe. Transit was quieter still, with only the sounds of the car itself filling the void.

When the doors reopened on the other end, one of the other Marshals was there waiting for you, face sullen and pale. Something pretty serious must have happened in the space of time it took you to get from here to there and back again. But you didn't hesitate to follow him, falling into step with Ricardo only paces behind. He led you as far as the emergency room, before disappearing down another of the hallways. You heard the sound of retching seconds later.

Exchanging looks with your best friend, you were filled with anxiety as you entered the room.

You really wished you hadn't.

 

A trail of blood streaked from the gurney, on which a very dead Catherine Foster lay, chest torn open and doused in crimson. The smell of iron was heavy, and you found it hard to catch your breath. Bile rose in your throat.

“What happened, doctor...?” You forced the words to pass, but the woman didn't seem to have anything to say. So, you turned to Waits, “Marshal?”

But he too was speechless, jaws clenched together as if to prevent himself from throwing up.

“She...” He grumbled after a few minutes of tense silence, “She brought somethin' here.”

That was as much as you could get out of him. He left the room quickly after. You suspected he was sick. According to another of your comrades, some kind of creature had burst from her chest, but it had managed to escape before they could catch or kill it.

You were there to witness Lingard sign the death certificate; cause classified. Well, what else was she to put? None of you had any idea of what the hell that thing was. You hadn't even seen it. By the sounds of it though, it had been thoroughly horrifying to witness. You didn't envy those that had been unfortunate enough to be present.

You felt even worse for the Anesidora's captain, Marlow, because that dead woman was his wife.

But you didn't get long to dwell on this, nor time to grieve the death of someone you never knew, for Waits returned to issue orders. You were to search the hospital and SciMed tower with Ricardo, for any sign of the creature. If you found it, you were responsible for seeing it killed.

With a heavy heart, you did as commanded, setting off with your friend for your duties.

The hallways were seemingly clear of anything, and you were more than grateful for it, since it meant that no one would have seen the creature. You wouldn't have to explain anything – which you were glad about, since you didn't even know yourself.

You did know, however, that the sooner you caught and destroyed this creature, the better it would be.

But oh, things were just getting started.

It was only the beginning of the end of Sevastopol.

The station itself, and everyone on it.

 

 

 


	2. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting worse as time goes on.  
> She'll take you all.  
> You can't hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think it's really obvious yet, but reader is actually ill.. I'll go into more detail about that soon, and bare with me, the Torrens crew will be here soon!  
> I hope you like this! :D

After a few hours, you had no choice but to abandon your objective. The station was much too large, and the creature had to have been long gone. Lost among the vents and walls that kept you suspended in place. The trail had gone cold, too. You and Ricardo had followed it as far as you could, but eventually you reached a dead end. Any trace of the monster was gone.

Voice stiff, you called in with Waits to tell him your progress, before making your way back to the bureau. There was nothing more you could do. Not today, anyway. The Marshal would no doubt send you both out again soon. By the time you got back, many of your team mates were already there, having given up on their own search missions. Garcia and Harris looked almost as exhausted as you felt, and Turner was staring blankly into the bottom of an empty mug. Plopping down onto one of the sofa's in the bureau, you pressed your palms against your eyes. Stars danced against the darkness, and the imminent fatigue weighed heavily on your shoulders. You felt Ricardo drop down next to you and breathe a heavy sigh. The day just seemed to have dragged on, growing progressively worse and worse the closer to evening you got.

You were thankful to be dismissed – all of you were, by a very downtrodden and irritated Waits, who sent you back to your quarters without so much as a 'goodnight'. You didn't really question it, though, since he got like this sometimes. You didn't know it, but things were about to get a whole lot worse.

 

Almost a week later, and you were still searching for the creature. There'd been no sign of it, but it was lurking, you knew. Not to mention, people had started going missing.

But Waits was keeping the station and those who lived there in the dark. He didn't want word of this mess to get out, even though you and your team were constantly targeted by that reporter woman, as well as various other disgruntled people. You had nothing to tell them.

There was nothing you could say.

As the body count grew, your search efforts increased in the hopes that you'd be able to catch and kill the creature, whatever it was. You never had any luck.

You did, however, get to see it.

Both you and Ricardo were out in the lower decks of the Habitation tower, checking every vent, anywhere it could have hidden. So far, there had been no sign of it, though you did encounter a substantial amount of some strange goo – saliva, you guessed, disgusted when some of it got onto your hands.

What you didn't anticipate was the low growling from the vents above your head. A clatter of steel had both of you diving for cover, in case it was the creature. And where did you hide, but in a set of lockers directly in front of the gap in the ceiling.

You had a perfect view of it when it dropped down. It was kind of hard to describe, with a long black domed head, spines protruding from its back, and a tail that coiled and twisted dangerously.

Well, shit. Hardly even daring to breathe, you watched it through the gaps in the locker, hoping with everything you had that it didn't know you were here. Someone must have answered your plea's, for a moment later it disappeared down the hallway, constant hissing and heavy footsteps sounding its leave. You'd never been so relieved before.

Once you were entirely certain it was gone, you opened the door, and stepped out. Your partner followed suite, gaping like a fish at what he'd seen. With one last glance down the hallway it had gone down, the pair of you decided it would be best for you to leave, before it came back.

It was a good thing you'd taken your injection before you set out.

You don't think you've ever ran so fast.

 

Yet another several weeks later, you once more you were deployed into the station. This time, on a supply run. Things had turned to shit very quickly, and it soon became obvious that not even the Marshals could hold power in the station any more. Order had deteriorated rapidly, and the civilian populous was reverted to bands of desperate survivors.

You couldn't blame them. They were afraid. But that meant you'd need to be extra careful, since now a lot of them distrusted any human they weren't associated with – especially a Marshal.

There weren't many of you left, either.

Garcia, Turner and Harris had all been killed by the creature, much to your sorrow. You see, you'd shared certain.. relations, with the latter, and though you didn't think you loved him, he was still one of your greatest friends.

However, there was no time for you to think about that now. You had a job to do.

It was kind of funny, how many important and useful things were left out in situations like this. Not even things like food, but sensors and compounds, the sort of thing that you could make things with. That sort of thing, as well as keycards, any food, and ammo were all things you picked up, fitting them all into the huge duffel bag slung securely over your shoulder.

You made it as far as the Engineering dock, and from the darkness, you surveyed the wide open space of the lobby; the floor was littered with body bags, and bright lights flooded the area. The huge doors on the other side – which you were sure had been shut down – were unlocked, the little green light beckoning you forward. Sure enough, to the side lay the heavy orange clamp, that had previously kept it shut, but now was completely useless.

Someone had been here.

With a low sound, the doors parted, and you strode through.

Quiet and quick, you would go unnoticed by any monsters – whether they were human or not.

That was something you were good at.

 

 


	3. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendly faces aren't common nowadays.  
> Relish them while you can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter! :D  
> Sorry it's late..

The lower hallways of the Engineering Dock were filled with an intimidating kind of silence, one that made you feel more than slightly anxious. Your nerves were frayed with panic, though you kept a cool front; even in times like this, being professional was key. Your patrol through the corridors was put on hold when the echo of voices rang through. The sound of a vent opening to your left made you jump, and you quickly dove for the corner. You didn't think they saw you.

“People 'round here aren't as kind as me, sweetheart.” A distinctly masculine voice patronised, quiet and strong. You faintly recognised it, but from where you weren't sure.

You flitted through the departments in your head; down to the skeleton crew, but even then you couldn't recall a name. You were sure that you knew him. Whoever was accompanying him shot back a reply, but she spoke too quickly, and you didn't pick up on what she said. They were coming your way, and you practically flattened yourself against the wall in an attempt to remain unseen. You were well aware that most of the survivors still on the station held disdain for the Colonial Marshals – I mean, they were supposed to protect them. But even you couldn't protect yourselves.

For that, there was a strong possibility you'd be shot on sight.

So, you'd act first. Somehow, they didn't see you, continuing on past your hiding space as they talked quietly. Pulling back the hammer on your revolver, you crept up behind them.

You didn't like to bluff, especially with weapons, but in this situation you felt that you needed to.

With eyes like steel, you pressed the muzzle of the empty gun to the back of the man's head. He froze in place upon contact.

“Don't move..” You hissed, throat constricted by a sudden onset of coughs, but you swallowed them with a shudder.

Damn you your weakness. Even the Marshals – your own colleagues – didn't know of your ailments. You liked to keep it under wraps.

The pair in front of you raised their hands slowly despite your warning, backs to you.

“On your knees.” The strain on your voice was lessening, and you found your breath more easily.

The woman was the first to talk.

“We need to get to Comms..” She spoke quietly, but did as you had ordered, “Can you help us?”

You considered it for a moment. Should you? It technically was your job as a Marshal, but that was before the creature came on board.  
“We don't need _her_ help!” Her companion exclaimed, and you drove the gun roughly against the base of his skull. After another moment of careful consideration, you decided that you couldn't agree. But if there was to be any hope of rescue, you'd need to restart communications. It was just unfortunate that you had a job to do.

“I can't help you, I'm sorry. But I need to go to Lorenz any way, so I'll go with you as far as .”

Removing the gun from it's aim, you allowed them back to their feet. You murmured an apology of sorts as you replaced the gun in your belt, and reloaded your shotgun.

“You're right, by the way.” You confirmed the man's earlier statement, “There's not a lot of nice people left.”

A rattle from above your heads made the three of you panic, and with a whispered 'Go!', you all continued on your way. So long as you were quiet you'd be fine..

On your way through the abandoned, dim rooms, you learned that the woman was named Ripley, and the man, Axel. In turn, you gave them your own name. Now that you could place a name to his face, you remembered seeing him around before, on the engineering decks and around the staff suites. Before all of this mess.

 

Coming to a stop behind a pair of semi-open doors, you crouched down out of sight. Voices from within the room ricocheted off the walls, hostile and aggressive. You didn't think it would be wise to confront them. Especially since, between the three of you, there were only two working guns – which wouldn't be practical if they were all armed. You'd all be wiped out pretty quickly.

It only took a minute or two for Axel to form a plan, one which would be pretty easy to execute, given it all worked out as it should. The group in the centre of the room were much too busy arguing amongst themselves that they'd never notice Ripley sneak past them and shut off their generator. After she'd done that, the three of you were meant to converge at the far exit, so you could get to the transit deck and take a car across to Lorenz. You'd part then, taking another back to Solomon, back to the bureau and back to safety.

You watched from behind the doorway as Ripley made her way around them, crouched low to the ground. They had no idea. Moving forward a few paces, you waited behind some kind of railing, just out of sight, for the power to go out. Only moments later and it did, plunging the room into darkness. Surprised voices and swearing met your ears, and the group set out to investigate. You knew Ripley would have taken the vent underneath the room, which would bring her back out here and out of their way. As soon as the strangers began to move, you made your own way forward, keeping close to the shadows. When you passed by their stock, you snatched up one of their medkits, which was lying by itself. You shoved it unto your bag before continuing on. Axel had already reached the doorway you were to escape from, and you hastily made to catch up. A few feet away, Ripley ascended from a panel on the floor, stealthily keeping quiet as she crawled towards you.

The loud voices of the people made you a little anxious, and you were glad you could finally get away from them. No doubt they knew something was up, but hopefully you'd already be on the transit car by then.

There wasn't far to go now.

 

Damn it. They must have figured it out. The door was shut; they'd cut you off. Luckily for you, there was a two-man power starter, though it required a temporary separation for both consoles to be activated. You opted to go with Ripley, back in the direction you'd came and to the button nearest the already-open door. You stood by, shotgun loaded and ready. Just in case.

It took only moments for them to be done, and the door behind Axel slid open.

You didn't expect someone to be waiting on the other side.

“Watch out!” Ripley called to him, but he didn't. Neither of you really waited to see, rushing down the hallway towards him, but by the sounds of it he was being attacked.

The stranger must have been with the others, you could pick up, “I found 'em!”

Without even hesitating, the brunette lifted her maintenance jack and smacked him with it. There was a sickly thump, and he fell away. Axel put a bullet through his head before you could even blink.

Voices from behind and the flash of light had the three of you running. Your pace lagged a little, but kept up easily. It was likely the others wouldn't follow you too far, what with that thing running around. It just wasn't safe.

But now that you were practically out of harm's way, you allowed yourself to stop for breath. The room was fairly large with a high ceiling and two doorways. Transit was just through the other. Chains and water dripped from above.

“You killed that guy!” Ripley exclaimed, running her hands through her hair in a panic. The Scot grasped hold of her face, forcing her to look him in the eye.  
“He was going to kill me,” He reasoned, voice tense and low, “ _You_ saved my life.”

Straightening out, you inhaled deeply before approaching the duo.

You stopped mid-stride when something thick and slimy dropped down onto Axel's sleeve. Your eyes widened with panic. Oh. Oh no. No, no, no.

“The fuck is this?” He sneered in disgust, trying to wipe it off. A loud crack met your ears, and blood spattered the room as a blade tore through him.

The tail of the monster. As quickly as it arrived, it vanished, dragging Axel with it. Blood showered from a vent on the wall, fanning out around it.

You don't really remember running. The rush to transit was a blur, the beating of your heart drumming in your ears. Ripley seemed in similar shock; but of course, she'd never seen the creature before. She'd never seen what it could do. You had. The same thing had happened to Harris.

The pounding in your head seemed to get louder, but eventually, after what felt like hours of waiting, the sound of the car greeted you as it grated into the dock.

You've never boarded one of them so quickly.

Pressing the button that sent it to Lorenz, you took a seat on one of the uncomfortable chairs. The woman followed suite.

Another sound, one now familiar and horrifying to you, met your ears.

It was the deep, loud exhale of the alien as it dropped from the vents.

You were glad that the doors clicked shut as it did.

 


	4. Safe Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nowhere is safe. You're better off alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its so late, but better late than never, right? Hope you enjoy~

****

The ride across was almost entirely silent, with only the rumbles and screeches of the car to fill your ears. It wasn't until it slowed, as you reached the other side, did Ripley break it;

“That was the creature..” She muttered, almost to herself, but you knew you were also being addressed, “Axel told me about it..”

You didn't really know what to say, but figured you shouldn't remain entirely silent. A hum, some sort of acknowledgement, was all that reverberated from your throat. You couldn't even bring yourself to speak. It was almost awkwardly silent as the transit rumbled into its dock, the voice from the speaker on the other end muffled by the doors between you and the station.

“People have been going missing for weeks.” The words finally left their place in your mouth, surprising even yourself. Ripley looked faintly horrified, almost reluctant to leave the now-open doors that gave way to the rest of the station. But she steeled herself, and you both stepped out.

“Good luck.” You told her, wringing your fingers around the strap of your duffel bag, which seemed to get heavier and heavier with each passing moment. You didn't want her to go; she could get killed out there, but something told you she wasn't going to change her mind.

Before she could walk away from you, towards the Lorenz lobby, you stopped her with a sharp “Wait!”

The woman did, and you fumbled in your bag for something. Pulling out a handful of supplies – including the medikit you stole from those other guys – you handed them to her in the hopes of being at least a little bit helpful.

“Please be safe.” You murmured, quiet now and somewhat embarrassed by your little outburst. Her lips curved into a ghost of a smile, and she stashed them in her rucksack; “Thanks, [Name].”

You wanted to tell her it was your job, that that's what you were meant to be doing, but your voice was stuck again, and all you could do was nod as she vanished across the terminal and up the stairs to the lobby. You silently wished her luck. She'd definitely need it.

 

Waits contacted you again before you could call the next transit car to Solomons. He was sending it over with Stanton, one of the few remaining marshals; he was inexperienced and rash, a rookie by any standards. He was assigned to work on the station as it was being decommissioned, as some kind of work experience. You weren't particularly fond of the younger boy, and you didn't really trust him. He was more of an inconvenience to you now. But you'd deal with it; you always did.

The car docked, and you waited patiently for the doors to slide open. Your young colleague greeted you, and to no surprise his hands were curled defensively around his weapon.

“Ready?” You asked simply, but you knew he had found some sort of challenge in your words, even though there was none. Once he'd stepped out, you turned – in the opposite direction to Ripley – and took to the flight of stairs. Stanton followed behind, alert and nervous. You felt kind of bad for him; well, he was just a kid. As far as you knew, Sinclair had all of the station's children up in Habitation. They were sealed in and safe. Reaching the top of the stairs, you paused to breathe for a moment, before continuing towards the elevator, it was offline, but after adjusting one of the power outlets, it had enough energy to take you where you needed to go. With a press to the button, you began the ascent to the Gemini floors. The secondary power systems were down, apparently, and Waits had sent you Stanton to help turn them back on. Damn him. The older man knew you weren't too keen on the kid, but he'd sent him anyway, instead of Ricardo. It would have been Turner if he hadn't been taken by the monster. His ID tag was clasped onto your own, threaded securely through your belt loops. You can't even remember when he gave it to you.

The elevator chimed into your thoughts, surprising you out of your stupor and back to attention. You'd reached the floor you needed, coming out into a 'safe room' of sorts. It was pretty much locked down, but with the swipe of your key-card the door into Gemini would be opened. Then you'd be back at the mercy of the alien. You wasted no time in crossing the room, eager to get this whole thing over with. The sooner you restarted the systems, the sooner you could head back to the bureau.

You waited for Stanton to join you by the door, offering what you hoped was a reassuring smile to him before you opened it. He looked nervous, and you could practically feel the dread roll off of him in waves. Of course, Waits never had him doing stuff like this before, and you didn't think he knew his way around Gemini particularly well.

“Let's get this done.” You steeled yourself, and then you opened the door.

Before you, the hallway was quiet. There was no-one here. Hopefully, that meant that the creature was also off somewhere else. With utmost caution, you stepped out of the safe room, ready to get this whole thing over with. Stanton followed, gun in hand – not that you were surprised by that any more. Without hesitating, you activated the emergency override, shutting the door permanently until your return. It was the only way to successfully seal the door while you were inside the systems. Scattered shelves and cabinets were the only things you could see, though they wouldn't offer much of a protection against the creature, if it were to show. As you rounded the corner, you grimace at the sight of a dead man, bent backwards over an upturned trolley.

“What the fuck, man..” Stanton complained, but you both kept walking. There was no time to be preoccupied with the dead. Your main focus, as well as restarting the engines, was the survival of you and your team mates. That was top priority. Coming to a pair of double doors, you hovered just out of detection range, eyeing the camera wearily as you listened for any sound of movement. There was none. You proceeded. On the other side, another of the dead lay across the floor, face missing as blood pooled around her. The door directly ahead was locked, naturally – well, the power was out, so they couldn't open. Luckily for you, there was a manual way to unlock it. Unhooking the cutting torch from your belt, you flicked up the visor before getting to work. It didn't take long, and you made sure Stanton kept watch, in case the alien arrived and you didn't notice. But it went without a hitch, and the door popped open to reveal the server farm. The lights overhead were dim and flickering, but you paid it no mind, cautiously moving straight down the right hand side of the room. Taking the stairs slowly, you made sure to keep an eye on the vent overhead – just in case. But there was no sign of the alien at all, and you could continue without problem. Passing the control rooms, you kept on your guard. Things could very easily go sour from here if you weren't careful. The noise of the engines restarting could definitely bring the alien right to you; it had amazing hearing, you would give it that. But you had very little choice, and taking hold of the handle, you charged the engines. Manual restart was easy, since all you had to do was create a spark, and it only took a few tugs of the lever to do so. A low rumbling reverberated through the room and you ducked, crouching as you went back the way you came. You needed to get out of there.  
“[Name], this is Waits,” His voice came through, but you could hardly hear him over the beating in your ears and the loud engines that filled the room around you, “Change of plan. You need to pick up the Gemini kit, too, and then shut off the security cameras. Then get out of there.”

You nodded in affirmation, changing course for the control booth. The door was locked, but you hacked it easily. You heard the alien as it echoed through the vents. Once inside, you locked the door down. A horrible sort of breathlessness overtook you, and you felt yourself leaning against one of the walls. Stanton panicked, but you shushed him before he could draw attention to you both. It would only be a matter of time before the alien managed to find you. Removing the case from your bag, you unzipped it and removed the device. You reloaded it with a new shot, before injecting it into your thigh.

“What the hell was that?” The kid looked even more terrified than he had before, eyes wide as he stared at you. You found that you could breathe again, and so gave him a response;  
“It's for an illness. Don't worry about it, I'm fine now.”

With that, you grabbed the kit off the table before unlocking the door. The both of you headed out, listening carefully for any noise in the vents. You crossed over the hallway easily, but Stanton didn't have as much luck. When he was half way across, the ceiling above him clattered, and the sound of claws on metal had you on edge. Trying to gesture him across to you, you found yourself speaking to air; he wasn't listening. Not as the sounds grew louder and louder, until they were so close you were sure it could hear you breathe. From the vent right behind Stanton, a long string of drool dripped down. He froze completely. And then, he took off, sprinting away back towards the safe room. He wouldn't get back in without your key-card. You doubted he'd even make it to the door. From the ceiling, the creature emerged, slick and vicious. It took off after the rookie, not even noticing you as you hid yourself under a desk.

You waited until you could no longer hear either before you even dared to move.

 

 

 


	5. You Shouldn't Be Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that the longer time goes on, the more dangerous the station becomes.  
> You really shouldn't be here.

 

You tread carefully along the hallway, boots echoing on the smooth floor, though you tried to remain quiet. It was rather difficult, considering the fact that the entire station was drenched in total silence. At least it made it easier to hear the creature, since it seemed to have no concept of stealth. Perhaps it just thought that since the kill would be so easy, it had no need for it.

Kneeling behind a cabinet, you checked the hallway around you, but there was no sign of the creature. You sighed in relief, adjusting the cap on your head and reloading your shotgun. A revolver was slipped through the waistband of your trousers, out of bullets, but not completely useless. You had spares back at the Marshal Bureau. Well, you did, before Waits sent you to death at the other side of Sevastapol. He'd almost certainly ask about Stanton. You suspected the creature had already gotten to him. You hadn't heard from Waits, and you didn't much want to contact him, in case you attracted the beast to you. The cool dim hallways of Gemini were desolate and quiet, blood spattering the floor and lights flickering overhead. It was truly eerie, and a series of shivers shook down your spine, the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.

And then you heard it again. The loud 'thud' of constant footsteps, directly above your head. A vent entrance opened up further down the long stretch, and you suspected that's where the creature would come from. You were right, for a few minutes later, the huge thing crawled down, landing with grace on the white linoleum. You held your breath. All was still for what felt like hours. In reality, it was mere seconds, for the alien had began its hunt. With you as its prey. Glancing out past the cabinet, you made note of how far away it was; almost eight feet. Its back was to you, and it seemed to be trying to sniff you out, head raised. You ducked back, spine hitting the cool wall soundlessly. You knew your gun wouldn't be much good; bullets didn't seem to work too well on it. Fire was better.

It was just a pity you had none.

The creature moved on, its footsteps echoing off down the corridors, towards the engine room. You didn't think any of the engineers were still alive. They'd been killed off pretty early in the fray.

You'd passed through these systems after the monster, actually. But you hadn't had much time for observations. Waits had wanted it dead, so you were tracking it, but things didn't go to plan and the creature had managed to evade you. And here you were, sent out again to do his dirty work.

At least this time, it was an easy job. You had what you needed now, the equipment and tools stored in the duffel bag over your shoulder. It wasn't too heavy, and you could run with it if necessary, though it brought unwanted attention. Once more hoisting the strap over your head, you resumed your journey back to the transit port. Thankfully, you were headed in the opposite direction of the alien, so as long as you were quiet, it wouldn't come after you. With care, you began the slow walk down the hallway, keeping to the side so as not to get noticed. The Working Joe's in the area were less than friendly, but luck seemed to be on your side, for there were few of them. As with the alien, if you were quiet, you were invisible. They didn't care if they didn't know you were there.

 

As you moved, you made notice of the various vents in the walls and floor. You knew for a fact the creature used them. But so did other people. Some had been marked off, though you weren't entirely sure _why_ exactly. A scuffle in the room to your right had you ducking behind the wall, away from the window. Loud voice rang out, and you winced. Surely the creature would be on its way. You were almost certain the strangers hadn't seen you, so you moved quickly, as stealthily as you could.

“HEY!” Someone yelled, voice booming through the dead corridors, and a large hand wrapped around your bicep. Forcing you to face them, you came face to chest with a huge brute of a man. His grip was rough like his face, which was twisted into an expression of sick rage. A shorter man hovered somewhat behind him, rifle in his hands and smirk on his face. He was much weedier than his counterpart, who's grip only seemed to tighten.

“What do we have here?” He sneered, face coming dangerously close to yours, “A little _marshal_ ~”

His friend snickered, but said nothing. You could feel the bright bruises forming on your arm under his fingertips, but you tried to make no indication to him that you were in pain. Bringing his hands up, he closed them around your throat. He was going to kill you. His grin became predatory and sadistic and he pressed his thumbs into the soft front of your neck. You panicked as you began to choke.

Fear rushed through your veins.

There was no way out of this.

 

Before you could even blink, the man had fallen silent. His partner was in shock, his face frozen in horror. From the ceiling above your head, a long black tail was suspended, segmented and skeletal and impaling him straight through the chest. He gurgled helplessly, his mouth filling with blood and spilling over, like a crimson stream from the corner of his lips. His eyes stared into yours, fear and pain and even a slight hint of remorse reflecting in the glassy surface. The blade drove deeper, now almost completely splitting his ribcage in two. His hands slackened. Black eyes dulled with death. With an audible tug, the blade was removed, and the creature sprang down. A sick feeling rose in your stomach. But you couldn't look away.

The other man – who was now on the floor – backed himself against the wall and into a corner as the alien slunk over to him. Its claws tapped gently against the floor, dainty but oh so deadly. The dead man slumped at your feet. You felt physically sick when his blood pooled under the soles of your boots. The stench of iron hung heavy in the air. Every instinct told you to run, to make a break for it while you had the chance; while it was distracted by easier prey.

You had to physically tear yourself away from the scene, boots clacking loudly as you ran. Bloody footprints followed. Seconds later, you were on the floor, landing heavily. The breath left your lungs. Twisting around, you saw the creature loom over you, like a deadly shadow. Through the smooth dome of its head, you could see the faint outlines of what appeared to be a skull. It reflected that of a human. The heartbeat in your ears pounded rapidly, making you feel dizzy and sick and afraid.

The creature growled lowly, the noise reverberating through its chest. You tried so hard to swallow your fear. A sharp tug on your ankle had you almost directly under it, face to face. Saliva dripped down from its jaws, which parted to give way for the inner pair.

Your mouth went dry.

This was the end.

 


End file.
